DO NOT LEAVE YOUR LANGUAGE ALONE.

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Tag Archive | No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

AFTER YOU’RE DONE READING ABOUT “EDUCATION FOR ALL”, PLEASE REPLAY THE VIDEO ABOVE UNTIL THE IDEA SINKS IN. IT PACKS A WALLOP, DOESN’T IT? WELL NOW, I ASK YOU TO INVEST A BIT OF IMAGINATION RE WHAT WE NOW HAVE: SOPHISTICATED WIRELESS DEVICES AND MOBILE TABLETS, LIKE APPLE’S iPOD TOUCH AND iPAD 2 WITH THEIR FACETIME FEATURE ALLOWING FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION AND THEIR RICH AND EVER GROWING COMPLEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS — APPS THAT THE USER CAN “REWIND” AND ACCESS 24/7 AS NEEDED AND TO SUIT ONE’S LEARNING PACE — AND THE IDEA JUST EXPLODES SEVERAL TIMES LARGER AND LOUDER. ADD TO THAT THE GROWING SOPHISTICATION OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LMS), WHOA, IT JUST TAKES THE IMAGINATION TO TAME THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO MELT AWAY MOST OF THE LOGISTICAL ISSUES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, BEHIND “EDUCATION FOR ALL” AND “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND”.

In 1990, an international initiative known as EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) was launched. The Philippines is a part of it. Here’s a FAQ on EFA:

Q: What is Education for All (EFA)?

A: Education for All (EFA) is an international initiative first launched in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990 to bring the benefits of education to “every citizen in every society.” In order to realize this aim, a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups, and development agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank committed to achieving six specific education goals:

Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances, and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free, and compulsory primary education of good quality.

Ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programs.

Achieve a 50 % improvement in adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.

Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieve gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.

Improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure the excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

After a decade of slow progress, the international community reaffirmed its commitment to EFA in Dakar, Senegal, in April 2000 and again in September of that year. At the latter meeting, 189 countries and their partners adopted the two EFA goals that are also Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Although MDGs 2 and 3 refer only to issues of universal primary education and gender parity, respectively, the World Bank recognizes that achieving these goals requires supporting the full EFA commitment.Continue reading →

MTB-MLE Assessment Guide

By Haley de Korne, Bonna D. Duron & Amy Jo Dowd

Assessment can be a powerful tool, with substantial impact on the way an education initiative is viewed by participants and outsiders alike. As Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE or MLE) programs are piloted and promoted in various contexts around the world, it is important to plan carefully for the assessment practices that will best meet the goals and needs of the programs. The results of an assessment are not the only thing that is impactful; the practice of developing and administrating assessments also constitutes part of the overall MTB-MLE initiative and may have consequences on the outcomes of the program.